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No. 622,8I3. Patented Apr. "399; s. T. LEAMING, 1n.

TBDLL'EY.

(Application filed Luz. 16, 1897.)

(Na Modal.)

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vncnuurna, WASHER NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,-

sILAs T. LEAMING, JR, or WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR or ONE- HALF T0SILAS T. LEAMING, or SAME PLACE.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,813, dated April11, 1899.

Application filed August 16, 1897. Serial No. 648,358. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,- SILAS T. LEAMING, J12, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of lVauwatosa, in the county of Milwaukee andState of W'isconsimhave invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrolleys; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the overhead contact devices or trolleys ofelectric railways, and it consists in certain peculiarities ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be fully set forthhereinafter and subsequently claimed. i

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a device embodying mypresent invention, partly broken away or in section to better illustratecertain details of construction. Fig. 2 is a transverse verticalsectional view of the same, taken on the plane indicated by the line 2 2in Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is the production of a contact or trolleydevice of such construction as will prevent the escape of the same fromthe overhead wire, While readily yielding to temporary obstructions,such as cross-wires, and automatically rightingitself after theobstruction is passed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a trolley-pole, and B B theforked upper end or head thereof.

0 G are the side pieces of the trolley-frame, connected together by thetransverse bolts or brace-rods D D. This frame 0 D is suspendedwithinthe forked branches B B of the trolley-pole on a transverse journal E,which serves also as the journal of the cylinder or roller F, whichconstitutes the contact device proper in place of the ordinary trolley-Wheel. This roller F is not grooved; but on each side thereof aresuspended Weighted fingers, also supported on the journal E, saidjournal, after passing through the fork branches B B, side pieces 0 O,fingers G G, and roller F, being secured, as by nuts or a, on its outerprojecting ends. At each end of the trolley-frame there are suspended apair of the described weighted fingers, (marked H I, respectively,) ofpractically the same construction as the fingers of the central pair G,

each finger being a round rod projecting vertically upward above itspivotal point and carrying a metallic sleeve 1), resting on a collar cand kept in place on the finger by upsetting the top thereof or theformation of a suitable stop (I, While below the pivotal point the lowerpart of each finger is bent obliquely at a slight forward-projectingangle and is .lower beveled stops i at the other end of the frame topermit and limit the backward movement of the upper ends of the fingersH H and I 1, respectively, as hereinafter described, while the movementof the central pair of fingers G G is limited by stops 7' j, projectinginward from the central disk-like parts 70 of the side pieces 0.

J J are set screws passing through the forked branches B B of thetrolley-pole and adapted to bear against the said central disk portions70 of the side pieces 0, so as to keep the trolley-frame O D stationarywith the trolley-pole fork when properly adjusted.

The operation of my device will be readily understood from the foregoingdescription of its construction, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings. The normal angles of inclination of thetrolley-poles differ with. different cars, and it is intended that mytrolley-frame shall be adjusted so that it shall be practicallyhorizontal, with the tops of the several pairs of fingers G G, H H, I Iall substantially on the same plane, and then the set-screws J J aretightened against the side pieces of the trolley-frame, as described.The overhead wire is received between the fingers of each opposing pairand is in contact with the roller F, the said fingers'thus obviating anynecessity for a grooved flange in said roller and guarding against theescape of the Wire, while affording plenty of room for lateral movement.If the fingers encounter any obstruction, such as a cross-wire, they arepromptly bent backthereby as each pair of fingers meet with the same andinstantly right themselves, owing to their bent and weighted lower ends,as soon as the obstruction is passed, and in the case of a cross-Wire,for example, there Will always be two pairs of fingers in normal upwardprojection while one pair is bent backward, and hence the danger orpossibility of the escape of the wire laterally from the contact deviceat such times is reduced to a minimum.

While I have shown a practical and efficient construction of my devicein the accompanying drawings, I do not limit myself to the precisedetails described, as the same may be varied in many ways withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

With my device in going around corners the overhead wire may havecontact with the metallic roller F for the entire length of the samebetween the opposed fingers G G, which will ordinarily afford sufficientplay, and if said wire comes in contact with said fingers (or with anyof the fingers of my device) then the described sleeve b will obviatefriction and prevent binding, while at the same time, as all the partsof my device are metallic and non-insulated, the electric circuit willnot be broken so long as the overhead wire is in contact with any partof said device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A contact device for overhead trolley electric railways, comprisingan adjustable trolley-frame, a revoluble contact-roller carried therebyand a series of upward-projecting weighted fingers pivotally attached tosaid frame at each side thereof.

2. In a contact device for overhead-trolley electric railways, thecombination with a trolley-pole and a trolley-frame carried thereby, ofa revoluble cylindrical contact-roller; a

pair of upward-projecting and downward-extending disconnectedindependent fingers pivoted on the journal of said contact-roller, oneat each end of the latter; weights at the lower ends of said fingers,and vertical revoluble metallic sleeves on the upper ends of saidfingers.

In a contact device for overhead-trolley electric railways, thecombination with a trolley-pole, of a trolley-frame carried thereby,said frame being forked at each end, and the material of said framebetween the-forked ends being cut away to form upper beveled stops atone end and lower beveled stops at the other end; a pair of independentdisconnected upward-projecting and downward-extending weighted fingerspivoted between the forked ends of said frame, at each end thereof; alike pair of fingers pivoted on a journal at the center of said frame,and a cylindrical contact-roller revolubly supported on said centraljournal of said frame.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

SILAS T. LEAMING, J Witnesses 1 H. G. UNnERwooD, B. C. ROLOFF.

